October 2019 Drabbles
by NexSha-Stories
Summary: A series of 100-word stories about Aisha and Nex.
1. Uncertainty

"Daughter. A word, please."

That tone. Wincing, Aisha let go of Nex's hand and approached her father.

"Yes, Daddy?"

"I know you favor this...young man," he said, "but will he act in the interest of our kingdom?"

She clenched her fists. "He risked his life to save Gorgol! He cares about Andros!"

"He cares about you! This is not his world! He knows nothing of our affairs!"

"I can teach him! Please, Daddy!"

A long, heavy sigh. The king stepped closer and cupped his hand around her shoulder.

"Very well. You have one month to prove this to me."


	2. Love Me, Love My Realm

She had to tell Nex. No matter how he reacted, he had to know.

Aisha looked down at her drink as she spoke. "Daddy doesn't trust you...because he thinks you don't love Andros."

"I do," said Nex. "You know that."

"Yes, but I think he's...scared. On Andros, royals don't really date outsiders."

The next seconds of silence felt like hours. Finally, Nex reached his hand across the table.

"Aisha," he said as his fingers intertwined with hers, "I may not be from Andros, but I think it's beautiful. I wanna help you protect it."

The fairy smiled. "Thanks."


	3. Childhood Realm

"Whoa!" said Nex. "I've never seen so many books!"

"We don't have time to browse," said Aisha.

For about two hours, the couple shuffled through the stacks, gathering Andros textbooks, history books, maps, and biographies.

Suddenly, Aisha noticed a thin book on a bottom shelf. The moment she saw its cover, she gasped.

"No browsing, Aisha!" said Nex playfully.

She gave him a cheeky smile before picking up the book. "This was my favorite book when I was little. It's about a girl who leaves her home, and goes on adventures, and becomes a hero."

Nex chuckled. "Just like you."


	4. In One Ear

"And this is?" said Aisha, pointing to a handdrawn map on the coffee table.

Nex leaned over it. "Uh…Black Island?"

"No! _That's_ Black Island!"

"Oh, yeah. So…it's the one with the portal, right?"

Aisha growled. "Nex, are you paying attention?"

"Yes! It's just a lot to remember all at once!"

"I know, but you have to! I've only got a month to teach you all this!"

Nex slumped into the sofa, letting his head hang over the trim. As sunlight from the window painted his face, he broke into a grin.

"Maybe a change of scenery would help."


	5. A Call for Help

"See? This is way better," said Nex, stretching out onto the sand.

Aisha pressed an open book to his face. "We're not here to relax!"

"Aisha!" yelled a voice from the ocean. The couple watched as a mermaid with ruby-red hair barreled towards them.

"Tressa!" said Aisha.

The mermaid looked frantic. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"What happened, Tressa?"

"I was in a cave with Nesia and Kalia, and it collapsed! And now Kalia's trapped!"

Aisha turned her head and frowned apologetically at Nex.

"We've got time, right?" he said.

"Yes…" said the fairy. "Don't worry, Tressa! We'll save her!"


	6. Rescue

When Aisha, Nex, and Tressa reached the cave, they helped Nesia clear a path through the fallen rocks.

"I'll get Kalia!" said Nex and dove inside.

The light on his Specialist suit illuminated the cave floor. Ten minutes in, he found the mermaid curled up, nursing her head. He picked her up and carried her to Tressa and Nesia.

"Thank you," said Kalia weakly.

"Why were you girls in there anyway?" said Aisha.

"Someone said they saw the Kraken nearby," said Nesia, "but it wasn't here."

"Kraken?" said Nex wide-eyed.

Aisha put her arm around him. "Back to the palace?"


	7. Queen Niobe's Warning

As Aisha and Nex returned to the drawing room, an elegantly-dressed woman glided towards them.

"Mom!" said Aisha, throwing her arms around her.

"Your Majesty," said Nex, bowing.

Queen Niobe smiled. "How are the lessons coming?"

"He's…having trouble remembering everything," said Aisha.

"Be patient, dear. There's plenty of time before the ball."

"Ball?" said the couple.

"Teredor didn't tell you? He's throwing a ball in your honor. That's where Nex will be tested."

Aisha's mouth dropped. "What if…he fails?"

"Then" — Niobe hung her head — "you must choose a suitor from among the young men your father has invited."


	8. Memory Leak

"This spell will increase your memory capacity," said Tecna, "and fix your write errors."

"Translation, please," said Nex.

The technology fairy sighed. "You'll retain more information. This is an upgrade spell I modified for living beings."

She tapped buttons on her phone, and the visor on his head lit up. The three heard a beep. Then another. Another.

Then silence.

Suddenly, Nex clutched his head and started screaming.

"Nex!" said Aisha, grabbing his shoulders.

The fairies watched zeroes and ones float out of Nex's head and form a cloud around it. He screamed louder.

"Tecna, turn it off!" yelled Aisha.


	9. Déjà Vu

With a few button taps, Tecna gathered the data around Nex's head into her phone.

"Now to upload it," she said.

A ribbon of code streamed into Nex's visor. After a few seconds, he started to groan and wince, and the ribbon abruptly snapped.

Tecna frowned. "Something's blocking the transfer."

Aisha peered down at Tecna's phone. It played a video of a middle-aged woman yelling towards the screen.

"Nex, pay attention!"

"I'm trying!" a young voice whimpered.

"Try harder! Lazy brat!"

Aisha clasped her hands to her heart. "Is this…a memory?"

Tecna nodded. "He must have recently remembered it."


End file.
